


Changes

by SugarsweetRomantic



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Animals, Dogs, F/M, Fluff, Post Episode: S02E10 Chinatown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 15:56:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16936215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarsweetRomantic/pseuds/SugarsweetRomantic
Summary: Lucy and Flynn share a quiet moment in the middle of the night while on the post-Chinatown rescue mission, and witness the birth of new life.





	Changes

The campfire illuminated Lucy’s face, emphasising sharp cheekbones and a paler-than-normal complexion. Jiya and Wyatt had both succumbed to exhaustion a few moments ago, and her and Wyatt’s future counterparts were off doing God knows what, but neither of them could sleep. Lucy was too uncomfortable, she claimed, but he could see the worry in her face. She was too stressed to sleep. Flynn had taken the position of night guard upon himself. So, here they were, huddling close to the flames; trying to keep warm while the world cooled down around them. Reaching over, he checked on the Redbone Coonhounds they had managed to rent in town. The horses were secured to a nearby tree, he had tied the ropes himself, but he looked over to make sure they were still okay anyway.

“You’re so gentle with animals,” Lucy commented softly as one of the dogs carefully walked up to them and let her pet its head. “How’d that come to be?” He shrugged in response.

“I don’t think I treat them any differently than others would.” It was a polite way of telling her  _ it’s a sensitive subject _ . Closing his eyes, he prayed she would get the hint.

“That’s not true, and you know it,” she whispered. “You treat the horses with more respect than anyone. You’d give up your own water just so they could drink, and you were the one who made us set up camp here when you noticed Jiya’s mare was getting tired.” He should've known she wouldn't drop it, he supposed. Lucy Preston was nothing if not stubborn.

“I suppose so,” he replied. Opening his eyes, he locked his gaze onto the dancing flames. Silence fell over the area once more, and Lucy sighed before letting the Redbone climb further onto her cross-legged lap. It - or she, he realised as he looked closer and saw the small amount of white fur on her chest - whimpered softly as Lucy stroked the rich red fur of her sides.

“Are you hurt?” she wondered out loud. Flynn reached over to palpate the dog’s abdomen. She was abnormally cold, and he could feel muscles contracting beneath his palm. How had these incompetent assholes in town not told them that?

“She’s in labour,” he commented. “She probably has been having contractions for a while.”

“What?!” the historian hissed, causing the dog in her lap to hide her snout in the space between Lucy’s arm and side. “How is that possible?”

“I thought she was just well-fed,” Flynn replied. “But those idiots probably just saw it as a chance to make some extra money; figured she’d hold out a day or two longer.”

“Well, what do we do now?” Lucy asked.

“She’ll know what to do.” At least, he hoped she did. The Redbone seemed extremely young to be bred, but this was a different time. It wasn’t usual for a dog experiencing contractions to seek out a human, but he supposed Lucy’s lap was the gentlest and safest location the poor thing could find out here in the middle of nowhere. 

“She’s shivering.” Wordlessly, Flynn grabbed any spare blankets he could find and created a fluffy nest around the soon-to-be mother. As his fingers brushed against Lucy’s neck while pulling one around her body, he realised she was freezing as well. Taking a deep breath, he pulled both girls into his arms. The historian didn’t protest, her attention currently devoted to the animal seeking refuge in her arms. 

“ _ Sigurni ste _ ,” he whispered softly as Lucy carefully caressed the dog’s restless body. “You’re safe.”

As the hours progressed and the night air got colder, they sat and guarded the Redbone in silence, until he suddenly felt the urge to speak up.

“I had no friends growing up,” he stated, refusing to look her in the eye. “I was bullied for my looks, for my accent, for my everything. I was bullied for my dead brother, for my father, for everything. But animals…” He sighed. “Animals never judged.” Lucy nodded silently. “They accepted me for who I was. I didn’t have to change for them, like everyone else wanted me to. Like they still do.” Before she could reply, the Redbone suddenly began straining. Flynn almost forgot to breathe as they watched her give birth to three tiny puppies within the next hour. Once the mother’s body had finally calmed down, he whispered: “We’re so proud of you,  _ mala _ .” He carefully helped Lucy move the newfound canine family into the spare tent, praising them while they did so. 

“I guess I’m sleeping outside then,” Lucy announced with a shaky breath, having cleaned herself up as well as she could. “I don’t want to disturb them.” He could see a shiver run down her body as a gust of ice cold wind rushed past them.

“Come here,” Flynn told her, opening his arms to her as he leant back against their luggage by the fire. Smiling shyly, she nodded and sat down next to him, folding her legs beneath her.

“Aren’t you tired?” she asked him, yawning softly.

“I’ll live,” he reassured her, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. Sighing, Lucy settled against him and closed her eyes. “ _ Laku noć _ .”

“G’night,” she mumbled in reply, already half-asleep. 

Just as he was convinced she was fully knock-out, she suddenly whispered: “I don’t want you to change. I love you for who you’ve become.” His whispered ‘ _ I love you too _ ,’ was the last thing she heard before succumbing to her exhaustion. 

In the morning, she was still worried and scared, but looking at him as he tended to the horses, she was able to smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this short little fluffy piece. :)


End file.
